iParadigims (Turnitin) Cubed
When I think about e-learning technologies and businesses, I tend to think mainly of the delivery, presentation, and access to information aspects of e-learning. Turnitin is something different; it is a digital information tracking software that protects intellectual property. Recently, it has started to evolve into a comprehensive online teaching tool, integrating filing management with both teacher and peer assessment.
Market Focus:
Initially, Turnitin focused on post-secondary institutions and is generally used to check the authenticity of student writing. Today, however, Turnitin, has expanded the utility of its services to include grade-book options and assessment strategies, and, as a result, has expanded its market to include K-12. Turnitin is especially useful to teachers of the Social Sciences and English where the volume of student written output is greatest.
Types of offerings:
Services:
In addition to searching of plagiarism, Turnitin provides a number of additional services and is evolving into complete management and assessment system for teachers. The online “Write Cycle” system allows students to actively engage in a collaborative writing workshop. In addition, Turnitin provides grade-book services.
Content:
There has been a definite shift in the content delivered by iParadigims which, interestingly enough, has started to morph into more of a learning interface. It seems like this is natural progression and possibly a necessary one given the emerging competition in this area (ie. Google Docs).
Infrastructure:
iParadigims provides internet-based services designed primarily to protect intellectual property. It is expanding this service to include online evaluation and assessment tools.
Turnitin also is designed to allow for open integrations with e-learning systems such as WebCT.
Who is the buyer?
Up until recently, the buyer has been post-secondary institutions. More recently, however, with the addition of online products, the target market has expanded to include K-12 public schools. Turnitin services are packaged such that they can be purchased by individual teachers—a fairly expensive proposition which works out to about one dollar/assignment. The most cost effective way to purchase the service is as a school or department. The flat rate for a medium to large public school (1500-2000 students) is approximately $3500.00 US. This fee includes unlimited access to all of the services for a one year period.
Global Markets:
Turnitin is current available in 10 different languages and in 110 different countries. The only real barriers to market would be the lack of internet in developing countries or the lack of language capabilities. The primary market, however, is post-secondary institutions world-wide.
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